It was a massive double dose of good news for Jorge Martin and Aprilia Racing at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria, as the MotoGP World Championship leader revealed he completely avoids going under the knife despite suffering arm pump issues just a week earlier at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
Only days prior, following a San Marino Grand Prix where he finished P5 after leading the early exchanges, Martin admitted that Saturday at the Red Bull Ring would serve as a severe test for his arm and ultimately decide if an operation was mandatory before heading to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Thankfully, the machine was hooked up and the rider delivered. Clinching pole position, Tissot Sprint gold, and a crucial Sunday 20-pointer in Austria, Martin successfully snatched the title race lead back from Marc Marquez of the Ducati Lenovo Team.
“I'm happy. I think the condition is difficult for sure because I'm not at my 100%, but I'm feeling much better than I felt in Misano,” the 2024 World Champion explained in his post-race interview.
“So we are in the right direction. I won't go into surgery tomorrow (Monday). We will try to continue like this. Now I'll try to rest, recover well from these two races that were so hard physically, and we move on to the Asian tour in great shape, understanding the bike a bit more, and I think this is good news because having surgery is a big risk also.”
With no operation on the horizon, Martin skips the knife and prepares for a grueling five Grands Prix in six weeks, starting at the Mobility Resort Motegi after a much-needed weekend off.
Landing in Motegi for the next round of this enthralling 2026 chase, Martin carries a 12-point advantage over Marc Marquez. Meanwhile, his Aprilia Racing teammate Marco Bezzecchi sits further back in third place, standing 42 points adrift.
